System creating chat network based on a time of each chat access request

Abstract

When a person requests access to a chat session, the time of the request is used to determine which chat room the person is placed. Other parameters are used to determine the surrounding factors, or context, within which the person initiated the request, such as the particular television program that the person was watching at the time of the request. By forming chat rooms based on the time of entry and the context in which the request is made, the chat rooms are likely to contain people with a common topic to discuss, such as the television news story being broadcast at that time. These time-of-entry chat rooms can also be structured to be of limited duration, obviating the overhead burden of deleting topic-specific chat rooms when the topic ceases to be of interest.

What is claimed is:  
     
       1. A method for forming a chat network, comprising the acts of: 
       receiving a plurality of access requests from a corresponding plurality of users,  
       assigning an access time parameter to each access request based on a time of each said access request,  
       establishing at least a first communication path among a first subset of the plurality of users based upon said access time parameter assigned to each said access request, and  
       establishing a second communication path among a second subset of the plurality of users if a total number of said plurality of users exceeds a dynamically established threshold.  
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , wherein said dynamically established threshold is determined based on an available bandwidth of said first communication path. 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 1 , wherein said dynamically established threshold is determined based on a number of users expected in said plurality of users. 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 1 , wherein each said access request includes a context profile and wherein the act of establishing at least one of said first communication path and said second communication path is further based upon said context profile associated with each said access request. 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 4 , wherein said dynamically established threshold is determined based on said context profile. 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 4 , wherein said context profile includes at least one of a locale parameter, a monitor parameter, and at least one character parameter. 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 6 , wherein said monitor parameter includes an identification of a broadcast program associated with each said access request. 
     
     
       8. The method of  claim 1 , comprising the act of combining said first communication path and said second communication path into a single communication path if a number of users in said first subset of users drops below a predetermined number. 
     
     
       9. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising the act of accessing a plurality of user profiles, each of said plurality of user profiles being associated with a corresponding one of said plurality of users, and wherein the act of establishing said first communication path is based upon said plurality of user profiles. 
     
     
       10. The method of  claim 9 , wherein each said user profile includes at least one of an age parameter, a gender parameter, an education parameter, a locale parameter, and an interest parameter. 
     
     
       11. The method of  claim 9 , wherein the act of establishing said first communication path is based upon a disparity in at least a plurality of said user profiles of said first subset of users. 
     
     
       12. The methodof  claim 9 , wherein the act of establishing said first communication path is based upon a similarity in at least a plurality of said user profiles of said first subset of users. 
     
     
       13. The method of  claim 9 , wherein at least one of said plurality of users profiles comprises a portion of a corresponding access request. 
     
     
       14. The method of  claim 9 , wherein at least one of said plurality of user profiles is accessed locally. 
     
     
       15. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising the act of terminating said first communication path among said first subset of said plurality of users based on at least one of a level of activity on said first communication path, a predetermined time period, and a context dependent time period. 
     
     
       16. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising the act of establishing a third communication path among a third subset of said plurality of users based upon said first subset, said second subset, and a level of activity on at least one of said first communication path and said second communication path. 
     
     
       17. The method of  claim 1 , comprising the act of providing each of said plurality of user with an option to select to be in one of said first subset of users and said second subset of users if the total number of said plurality of users exceeds said dynamically established threshold. 
     
     
       18. The method of  claim 1 , comprising providing to each of said first subset of users a signal to establish a representation of said first communication path. 
     
     
       19. The method of  claim 18 , wherein said signal establishes a visual representation of said first communication path. 
     
     
       20. The method of  claim 18 , wherein said signal establishes a picture-in-picture (PIP) representation of said first communication path. 
     
     
       21. The method of  claim 18 , wherein said signal establishes at least a text representation of said first communication path.